When I threw on ZULI’s latest release Komy, I was immediately swept away by the urgency of “Sequel” and its frenetic explosive drums that back guest vocalist Haykal’s sped-up, slightly distorted delivery. The latest release from Egyptian sound artist Ahmed El Ghazoly is a series of five tracks that have been in the vault for some time—some as far back as 2016—that violently whip through sonic space, evoking grime, trap, and techno mixed with a palate of sounds from around the world. It keeps you on your toes as rhythms and tempos rapidly change up, often within the course of a single song.
On “Bussra,” it sounds as though a dancehall DJ’s vocals have been chopped beyond recognition, but knowing El Ghazoly’s proclivity to sample from a wide range of sources, there exists an ever-present mystique over how each arrangement of sounds came to be. Simply put, these are bangers on a speaker system, yet they also demand an attentive listen from the crib, inviting you to pour over every composition in wonderment at how they came to be.
El Ghazoly and his collaborators are donating all the profits from this release to Medical Aid for Palestine. Visit this link to donate directly
